Running back wasn't a dire need for the Atlanta Falcons in the draft. But when Bijan Robinson fell to them at eighth overall, Terry Fontenot knew he could add a player that would add even more potency to their offense.
Despite missing the playoffs last season, the Falcons started to show some promise. They had a solid running back group headlined by Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson, and that was before adding Robinson in the draft this year.
Now, the Falcons are loaded at the position, with a bevy of ways to deploy each of them.
“Tyler, Bijan, CP – the key with all those guys is they’re versatile players, and they can do a lot of different things” the Falcons GM said Wednesday in an appearance on the 92.9 The Game Midday Show with Andy & Randy. “Whether we’re talking about running the ball out of the backfield, catching the ball, moving around in different positions – you talk about positionless football, you talk about Kyle Pitts and Jonnu (Smith), and we believe that we can do a lot of different things with our team.
“You can be in 22 personnel or 23 personnel and go out there and you’re in empty, and the defense has to adjust. And obviously with Arthur Smith and our coaching staff, we have a really smart staff that is going to get the most out of players.”
Clearly, versatility is something the Falcons are valuing. Trotting out an offense with so many different options, all of whom can impact the game in a variety of ways, is a surefire way to overwhelm an opponent.
So, while the Robinson addition might not have been essential, it’s a move that should help further unlock a budding offense.
“That’s the exciting thing about Bijan,” Fontenot said. “There’s a lot on his plate right now, you see him out there doing a lot of different things, but he can handle it mentally, he can handle it physically and wherever you get him the ball he’s going to make plays. Much like Tyler, much like CP, so we’re excited about it. …
“We have an open mind about everything. We say it’s who, not what. It’s not what position they play, but who it is. Are we going to draft a running back eighth overall? We’ll draft Bijan Robinson eighth overall, that’s who we drafted. We drafted Bijan eighth overall, we didn’t draft a running back. So that’s how we see it, and it’s about who the person is.”
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